Home Builders Institute CEO Ed Brady Responds to Google & BlackRock Getting into Training for Skilled Trades, saying: "Welcome to the Future Builders of America®"

WASHINGTON, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Home Builders Institute (HBI) CEO Ed Brady today responded to the announcement of the "Alliance for America's Skilled Trades" by BlackRock, Ford, Carhartt, Google, and other national leaders that they will launch a coalition focused on expanding workforce training and creating pathways into skilled careers.

Brady said, "At HBI, our response is simple: Welcome to the Future Builders of America®."

Since 1967, HBI has been preparing individuals for careers in the skilled trades and works with a broad range of populations—including youth, veterans, transitioning service members, justice-involved individuals, displaced workers, and underserved communities—pairing hands-on technical training with mentorship, life skills, and wraparound support to help students not only complete training but successfully launch long-term careers.

"For nearly 60 years, HBI and our partners have been investing in our students through free, hands-on skilled trades training that changes lives while helping meet the workforce needs of the residential and commercial construction industries," Brady continued. "It's exciting to see more organizations recognizing what we've known for decades—that the skilled trades are among the most impactful pathways to economic opportunity and high paying careers."

Brady added, "What we know though, is that this is not a quick fix—it is a national workforce crisis that requires long-term commitment, sustained investment, and proven training partners. The data reinforces the urgency. HBI's research shows the skilled labor shortage is costing our economy more than $10.8 billion every year, delaying home construction by nearly two months, and preventing 19,000 homes from being built annually."

Brady's HBI training programs are provided at no cost to the student, and their work doesn't end at graduation. HBI measures success by placing students into high-paying careers. HBI graduates enter the workforce earning an average starting wage of more than $23 per hour, demonstrating that skilled trades careers provide a pathway to family-sustaining wages and long-term economic mobility.

Brady noted that more information is needed about the newly announced Alliance for America's Skilled Trades led by Google, BlackRock, and other partners. Key questions remain about the program's structure, implementation strategy, and, most importantly, its long-term commitment. Addressing the skilled labor shortage is a generational challenge that requires sustained, generational investment—not a short-term initiative. It will be important to understand the Alliance's long-term vision, the workforce development experts and nonprofit partners they will engage, and how success will be measured. Additionally, questions remain about how participants who do not complete apprenticeship programs will be supported. Will there be proven pre-apprenticeship pathways available—like HBI's decades-long model—that provide foundational skills, wraparound support, industry-recognized credentials, and direct connections to careers?

He concluded, "We welcome every organization joining this effort because the demand for skilled workers has never been greater and the reality that trade jobs are AI-proof at a time when technology is replacing jobs left and right has never been more stark. Meeting today's hiring needs will require continued investment in organizations that have the experience, infrastructure, and track record to prepare America's future workforce. The time to invest is now. We see the growing coalition of organizations investing and we look forward to partnering to help solve the problem and scale the solution. We are ready to help, so please contact me. Together, we can make more PROGRESS on this important WORK IN PROGRESS more quickly."

HBI's job training focus begins early in a student's life. The organization believes that introducing students to the skilled trades in middle and high school is essential to building tomorrow's workforce, and over the last five years, HBI has introduced over 80,000 students to the industry through the Future Builders of America® program. From there, HBI supports or operates more than 600 training locations across the country, where experienced instructors prepare students for careers and connect them with employers in both the residential and commercial construction industries.

As a national nonprofit with a proven model, decades of experience, and an established network across the country, HBI is well-positioned to scale their impact through thoughtful investments that transform lives while strengthening America's workforce.

SOURCE Home Builders Institute (HBI)